In celebration of Suzanne Danco's life.
Suzanne Danco (22 January 1911 – 10 August 2000), was a Belgian international soprano whose career encompassed the opera stages of Europe from Mozart to 20th century roles, recitals, recordings of opera and songs, and later teaching. [Wiki]
"The Belgian soprano Suzanne Danco, who has died aged 89, was the epitome of the well-schooled, clear voiced soprano in the French tradition. She sang her wide repertory with impeccable taste, an unerring sense of the requisite style for the music, and was especially admired for her Mozart, which she sang internationally in the 1950s, her readings both thoughtful and well-groomed." [The Guardian]
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Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suzanne_Danco
Bach Cantatas' site: http://www.bach-cantatas.com/Bio/Danco-Suzanne.htm
The Guardian - Obituary: https://www.theguardian.com/news/2000/sep/04/guardianobituaries1
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Just listening to a recital by Danco from the Decca compilation.
It reminded me that she was an integral part of Ansermet's recording of Debussy's Pelléas et Mélisande. Interestingly I found her interpretation of Richard Strauss' songs very good indeed.
Operatic Recital Suzanne Danco
Charpentier; Verdi; Massenet; Bizet; Gluck; Purcell; Debussy; R. Strauss; Schubert
Review from MusicWeb: http://www.musicweb-international.com/classrev/2002/Jan02/Danco.htm
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A unique singer indeed, in a class of her own. Her Debussy interpretations are confounding in their naturalness and artistry. I have her Shepherd on the Rock on another disc (not sure if it's the same interpretation as that on the Decca recital, though) and here I think there's a little to much artistry and too little naturalness. Her Mozart incarnations (Donna Anna and Cherubino) take a while getting used to, in that we are used to more 'fleshy' voices in these roles, but the dramatic intensity is riveting. Other than the odd vocal/repertoire mismatch, she is quite unsurpassed.